Girl, Interrupted

Most people remember first meeting Brittany Murphy as the wide-eyed and naive Tai in Clueless, but I remember her from Sister Sister, as one of Tia and Tamera Mowry’s best friends. As years passed and she transformed from a round faced teen to a slender and at times frail young woman, her bright eyes and wide smile remained. Brittany Murphy died yesterday of cardiac arrest. She was 32 years old.

Her bubbly personality even came through as Eminem’s troubled love interest in 8 Mile. She got into newlywed hijinks with Ashton Kutcher in Just Married. She lightened the heart of a stuffy youngster (Dakota Fanning) in Uptown Girls. And she lightened my heart with her Earth, Wind, and Fire heart song in Happy Feet.

Brittany Murphy was a shooting star, and her light dimmed much too soon. Her smile masked a silent struggle with body image that tormented her throughout her brief life. May she finally find peace.